1. Field
Provided is an anti-VEGF antibody, an anti-c-Met/anti-VEGF bispecific antibody, a pharmaceutical composition including the antibodies, and a method of treating cancer using the antibodies.
2. Description of the Related Art
c-Met, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) present at the surface of cells, binds to its ligand, hepatocyte growth Factor (HGF), and stimulates intracellular signal transduction, to promote cell growth. C-Met is overexpressed in cancer cells and induces the proliferation of cancer cells, the penetration of the cancer cells, and angiogenesis. In many cases, the overexpression of c-Met protein is closely related to poor prognosis of cancer.
Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) is present in both normal and cancer cells, but it is secreted from cancer cells and binds to the VEGF receptor (VEGFR), to induce angiogenesis. Cancer cells can be supplied with necessary nutrients from blood vessels newly formed by the angiogenesis.
Therefore, a simultaneous inhibition of both c-Met and VEGF is expected to lead to more effective inhibition of cancer cell growth. For these reasons, it is necessary to develop a dual inhibitor which can inhibit c-Met and VEGF simultaneously. This invention provides such an inhibitor.